The Hank Hill Guide to a New Lawn

There are lots of opinions on lawns...I'm not saying I'm right, but this has worked for me for over a decade.
Carry on. I'll see myself out.

Someone asked...probably jokingly...but I actually wrote this out, over 7 pages
@Omnimorph2112, this is for you!

My neighbor had a crappy lawn with perfect southern exposure...as a wedding gift, I restored his lawn.

This was for a lawn in Western Washington...different areas of the world will want to use different seed...

I can't stress this enough. The first 6 weeks are critical.

But the first summer is also important! The roots aren't long enough to store nutrients. If you let the new grass turn brown during the first summer, it may never recover

Ignore weed and feed fertilizer.
I use Scotts Turfbuilder in the spring, a liquid fertilizer every month until fall, and Scotts Winterguard twice in the fall.
If you have access to a truck, compost in the fall or spring works wonders, but isn't necessary, especially if you mulch.

BTW, ALWAYS MULCH! Never bag. Bagging removes nutrients (the grass you throw away). Mulching returns the clippings to the ground, which ultimately acts as a fertilizer.

Fucking weeds.

TL;DR?
• Water lightly 2-3 times a day for the first 2 weeks.
• Water lightly 1-2 times a day for the second 2 weeks.
• Water every 2-3 days for the third 2 weeks.
• After the second mowing, water your lawn once a week for 30 minutes in warm weather (70s, twice a week in hot weather (80+), and every other week in spring/fall (60s).
• Set your mower to 4” and only take gentle turns until the grass has been mowed twice.
• Nothing but fertilizer and water on your lawn until it has been mowed twice.
• Mow your lawn once a week with the wheels set at 2 ½ inches (middle setting or one higher); mulch the grass clippings back into the lawn. Go HIGHER one half notch in the summer.
• Do NOT let your lawn go dormant this summer. It needs to grow!
• Starting next year, if you want to want to let it go dormant in the summer, you still need to water it every 2-3 weeks.
• Fertilize in early spring and early fall. Late spring too, if you’re feeling frisky.
• Don’t use weed and feed fertilizer, use liquid weed killer.

• MULCH WHEN YOU MOW!! Mulching is the single best thing you can do for your lawn!